De laatste trein

Summary

A small town in the lean years immediately after the war. A family, the mother of which disappeared during the war in shameful circumstances and has been forgotten. The family now lives off the railway, partly officially, partly as scavengers. Scandal in the past and enduring poverty in the present have shaped the family's habits. Although these have become daily habits, there is something mysterious about them too - their inevitability becomes clear only gradually.

Anton Karn, the father, a signalman with the railways, thinks only in terms of duty. His son, Dries, who tries to save him from making mistakes, is motivated by guilty feelings. His son, Harm, is sufficiently resourceful in providing the daily bread. The other children play, scrape along, dream. An invalid, so inseparable he seems part of the family, lives off his hate, badgering and baiting the members of the family to keep them reminded of the past, of which he is the victim. They are all driven by the same motive as that of the muskrat they so heartily detest: self-preservation.

The arrival of a group of soldiers with a mysterious mission disturbs the shaky equilibrium of the family's life. Their gradual decline slides into the rapids. Each member of the family is forced to defend himself against the strange intruders, but the efforts made cannot stave off the approaching end. On the contrary, as soon as they act outside their daily routine, their actions become completely senseless and a moment of insight and comprehension triggers the final, total catastrophe.